The Master’s Touch

Luke 8:40-56

A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed

40 So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him. 41 And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus' feet and begged Him to come to his house, 42 for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying.

But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him. 43 Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, 44 came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.

45 And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?"

When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"

46 But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me." 47 Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.

48 And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace."

49 While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher."

50 But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well." 51 When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl. 52 Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping." 53 And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.

54 But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Little girl, arise." 55 Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat. 56 And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.

The Master’s touch came to bring life and wholeness to those broken by sin.  The ruler of the synagogue had a dying daughter and fell in worship to beg Jesus to come and touch her to restore the life that was fading away.  He had faith that trusted the Master’s healing hand could bring her from the edge of death back into the land of the living once more because of what He had been doing and what Jairus believed Jesus could do if He was willing.  But along the way to the man’s house, Jesus was slowed by a huge throng all wanting healing by His mighty hand until a woman pressed through the crowd to touch Him.  Her flow of blood that had not stopped for twelve years just stopped.  Immediately.  By faith.  By touch.  Jesus wanted her to come openly to confess and demonstrate her faith to all who were there to witness the results because it was the trust in Jesus and His touch that needed to be demonstrated and acknowledged by her and the witnesses around them.  She came for and what did the Master do?  He told her that it was her faith in Him that made her whole again, not the power of her faith, but trust in the Lord that He was able to make her well.  The object of her faith was not the Faith or the act of touching Him, but His touch in which she trusted.  He told her to be joyful and to go at peace in God for this blessing on her.  By then a messenger came from Jairus’ house to let the Master know that His life giving touch was no longer required for the daughter had expired.  What did Jesus do?  He told them not to fear death but trust Him for life.  That is the heart of the gospel, peace with God (Romans 5:1) and a certain hope of life with Him (Romans 8:25, 15:12-13, 1 Corinthians 15:19, Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:19, 1 Peter 1:3) that never ends.  The Lord went to the girl with the three trusted disciples and the girl’s mother.  He told them not to sorrow for her death because He was bringing her back to them, telling her to rise up and eat something to regain her strength and demonstrate she was alive by the Master’s hand that touched her body and soul.  His nail-scarred hands continue to bring life to the spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) as His touch by faith gives us eternal life and peace with God because we no longer have to fear a certain death and an inevitable judgment (Hebrews 2:14-15, 9:27-28, 1 John 4:18).  The Master’s touch bring life and peace, joy and purpose to living and dying for those who trust and receive Him by taking Him at His word.  May we be faithful and joyful witnesses of this grace given by His mighty hand of love and grace to us. 

Possessed by Sin to Possessing Freedom

Luke 8:26-39

A Demon-Possessed Man Healed

26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!" 29 For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.

30 Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?"

And he said, "Legion," because many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.

32 Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them. 33 Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.

34 When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. 35 Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 36 They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed. 37 Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned.

38 Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you." And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

There were those like this man who was possessed by demons, by fallen angels who left their abode in heaven (Jude 1:6) to follow the deceiver and destroyer of souls who is the fallen angel called the devil and Satan and the serpent who hunts God’s people (1 Peter 5:8, Revelation 12:17).  We see here how the Lord with whom they wage battle set this man free from being possessed by evil against the Creator and King of all creation to one possessing all things in Christ who divinely spoke us all into being, even the fallen ones.  This man lived in the area of the Gadarenes by Galilee among the dead in tombs for a long time filled with these demons.  The people tried to restrain him with chains but the crazed naked man was driven to break them and wander among the dead with the evil spirits inside whipping him into a frenzy every day.  But when the Lord Jesus Christ approached the possessed one, the demons inside cried out in fear as they immediately recognized Him (James 2:19).  They correctly identified Him as Jesus, Son of the Most High God and begged not to be tormented with pain worse than the agony they were inflicting on their host.  Surely they did not expect to continue what they were doing and also had to bow to the Lord (Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:10-11) as King over them, so they begged for mercy instead.  Jesus knew but asked the name of the possessor that those who witnessed this encounter would know what was happening and could record this historical moment for us to read even now and give glory to God who possesses all of His creation in a good way.  The multitude of evil spirits in the man identified as “Legion” as if an army within had set up camp to bivouac there as long as possible and keep the man from possessing His Lord God.  Jesus allowed the request for them to break camp and take up residence in a herd of pigs nearby.  They were not finished with their destruction, however, and ran the herd to a death by drowning in spite for being defeated from their nefarious purpose.  The Lord allowed the destruction of the animals to save the man made in His image because that one was far more valuable than the rest of the creatures He had made for man in the beginning.  The witnesses to these strange events ran away into town to tell others what had happened and they returned in great fear to ask Jesus out of fear to go some else lest more of God’s works changed them and that they might repent or He might do something to them as well.  The man stayed in his right mind now, having been set free at last, and listened as the Lord told him to go back home and tell those them there what great things God had done for him, even though he really wanted to follow along with Jesus as He ministered the gospel to others to set them free from sin, death, the devil, and distressing possession.  He now possessed eternal life in freed from sin and the rule of the father of sin over him and went everywhere in the entire city bearing witness to the gospel that sets men and women free.  He was once possessed by evil but was set free to possess all things in Christ the Lord of all.  We who are in Christ may not have been physically possessed by demons, yet we have been set free from their master who now wars against us because of Christ.  Let us there spread the word that others may also be set free (Romans 6:22-23) as we have been, proclaiming this freedom in every city we live inhabit, giving the glory to God who sets us free indeed.  Amen! 

Who is this Man?

Luke 8:19-25

Jesus' Mother and Brothers Come to Him

19 Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd. 20 And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."

21 But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."

Wind and Wave Obey Jesus

22 Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake." And they launched out. 23 But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. 24 And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!"

Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"

And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"

Who can this Man be?  Who is He?  When the mother and brothers of Jesus the Christ came to see Him one day, they could not get through the crowd to reach Him.  Some people there let Jesus know that the mother and brothers were there but were unable to see Him.   The Lord answered them instead about who were His true family instead of addressing their immediate request.  All those who hear the word of God and do it are true family of the Lord.  This means acting on the gospel by receiving (John 1:12) Him and following His word in willing obedience afterwards (Luke 11:28, Ephesians 2:10, James 1:22).  After this we find Jesus on a boat crossing the sea to get to the other side for spreading the gospel of the kingdom of heaven.  He fell asleep on the journey as the storm blew hard and the waves rose up to swamp the small craft on their short journey to shore.  The disciples lost trust in God’s protection and providence and woke Him in great fear to let Him know they were all dying as the experienced fishermen were about to be swept into the thundering waves by the wind and drown.  What did Jesus do?  He told the storm to stop and waves to cease.  Then the calm after the storm came immediately and He questioned where their faith went.  Did it get washed or blown away by the circumstances?  Their reaction was of awe and wonder at who this man could be since even the world of nature obeyed His commands.  With a word, the waves and storm of His creation obeyed as in the beginning (Genesis 1:1, John 1:1, Hebrews 1:2).  Yes, this man was God Himself, Immanuel, among us (John 1:14) who created (Colossians 1:15-17) and rules over all things in heaven and earth.  This Word of God who spoke us and all around us into existence has complete control and authority over the wind and waves and over all our circumstances of good and evil, of safety and danger.  He is the Sovereign Lord and King as 1 Timothy 6:15 and Revelation 17:14 tell us.  Jesus is the Divine Lord and Ruler (Acts 10:36, 1 Corinthians 8:6, 12:3) whom we acknowledge and worship as only God is worthy of as Philippians 2:10-11 echo Isaiah 45:21-23, 24 to demonstrate who He is.  When we say Jesus is Lord, we confess His divinity and not mere authority given as a role like earthly rulers.  Who is this Man?  He is non other than God in the flesh of a man in perfect union to be worshiped! 

Parables Sown and Explained

Luke 8:1-18

Many Women Minister to Jesus

1 Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, 2 and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, 3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.

The Parable of the Sower

4 And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: 5 "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. 8 But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold." When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

The Purpose of Parables

9 Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"

10 And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that

'Seeing they may not see,
And hearing they may not understand.'

The Parable of the Sower Explained

11 "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13 But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. 14 Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. 15 But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

16 "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. 17 For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. 18 Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."

What do we do with God’s word when we hear the gospel?  Mary, Joanna, Suzanna and others followed Jesus and His apostles as His disciples and provided for them from their means that the work of the gospel could go on where He went.  They had heard His word and followed with gladness and commitment.  When a large crowd gathered around the Lord where He stopped, Jesus told a parable about a sower who planted seed in his field by throwing it about, scattering into various places in the plowed field, just as the people there came from all around to have His words cast on them.  Some seed landed on hard ground outside of the prepared field and the birds easily plucked them up and devoured them after others had walked all over them.  Other seed fell among hard places and the roots never took among the nooks and crannies of the rocks, withering away from lack of watering there.  Still other seeds landed in thorn bushes and were quickly choked out by the overpowering sharp net holding growth back.  Yet there was some seed which landed on good and fertile ground and grew tall and strong in that rich soil, leading to a bumper crop of good fruit of grain to nourish others.  Jesus paused before giving the explanation of this visual lesson to explain why He talked in parables like this.  He spoke to reveal that many did not want God’s word and so it was preached to those who were unable to grasp the truth and wisdom because they had hardened their hearts against Him.  They were unable to see or hear and these parables became a testimony against them for their rejection and disobedience.  But to those who God called like the disciples and we who now read with God-given understanding, we are given the explanation in the word as well as by the presence of God Him living in us (John 14:26, 1 Corinthians 2:13-14, 1 John 2:27).  When we read the scriptures we see the revealed mysteries of Christ in us as our hope in God’s glory (Colossians 1:27) by the mind of Christ in us, while the disciples heard from Jesus  here.  The Lord explained how the seed sown in the world is the word of God, the gospel of salvation.  In another place He further explained that the field is the world itself in which we live (Matthew 13:38) when a similar parable of wheat and weeds was given.  The gospel word of the kingdom of heaven falls on the side of the road of life and the devil snatches it from the listeners right away so they cannot hear it and repent to believing salvation.  The seed falling in the rocky ground cannot take root and so their joy is only a temporary emotional response that vaporizes when confronted with the cost of following the Lord (Luke 14:27-28, 33) and the temptations of living for other desires overtakes them (1 John 2:15-16).  Likewise, the seed falling in the thorn bushes is choked out by the cares and pursuit of personal gain or happiness in the fleeting pleasures of sin (Hebrews 11:25).  The cares, riches, and pleasures of life sidetrack these people who then bring no eternal fruit to maturity.  Ah, but those seeds of God’s word that fall on the rich soil of hearts prepared by God receive the gospel down deep in their souls and it takes root with the long term results of good fruit that honors and glorifies the Lord in whom they trust and patiently follow by faith and grace.  This includes lighting the lamp of this knowledge to tell and demonstrate to the field around us that other receptive hearts of good soil may hear and believe as well.  These hidden truths of the gospel will come to light in eternity, but we are called to reveal them now to all who are listening and hear the saving truth from us.  The light of God in the face of Jesus Christ is proclaimed through us (Acts 26:18, 2 Corinthians 4:6) and we dare not keep this light hidden in our own parables but cast to all who see His light and hear these things deep into their souls.  If people do not listen and are not prepared to hear, even what hits their ears will fall eternally short and be taken away by the devil or cares of this life.  May we be faithful to broadcast the seed of these words of life (Acts 5:20) into the world where His light shines life into men’s hearts and souls.  These are the parables sown and explained.

Our Sins are Forgiven!

Luke 7:36-50

36 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat. 37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner."

40 And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you."

So he said, "Teacher, say it."

41 "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?"

43 Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more."

And He said to him, "You have rightly judged." 44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. 45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little."

48 Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

49 And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"

50 Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."

Sins forgiven!  Jesus allowed a sinful woman, likely a prostitute, to wash His feet while He sat in the house of a Pharisee.  The religious leader had invited Jesus into his house but seemingly must have invited the woman also since they were not outside in public.  In spite of this, the Pharisee had evil and judgmental thoughts about how this Rabbi Jesus could allow such a woman to even touch Him, let alone serve by washing His feet as was customary, yet using her own tears which the religious condemned as unclean because of her sinful life and therefore wholly unacceptable and inappropriate.  She proceeded further to add expensive perfume to the Lords feet and even dried them with her own hair; how did He dare!  A prophet or rabbi would never do such a thing thought the self righteous man.  Jesus turned to speak with His disciple Simon with a short story parable about two men who owed different amounts of money.  Neither had money to repay their debts and both were forgiven them by the one who could collect on the loan by debtors prison or other means.  Jesus put a question to Simon in front of the condemning Pharisee about which man would be more thankful.  Obviously the answer was the one who knew he owed more.  This speaks to our salvation as a forgiveness of our debt of our very lives owed to our Master in heaven for our sin and how one who is more aware of the penalty forgiven because he owed far more would be more thankful to the released of an eternal debt which is death (Romans 6:23).  This one would express and fell greater love for the Master because he was forgiven more and therefore was far more aware of the grace shown him than the one whose debt appeared more insignificant to that man.  In reality, of course, we know in God’s forgiveness of sin that even the smallest debt is enough to enter the spiritual debtors prison of hell as much as the one who was a greater sinner in outward visible ways.  Yet the aware of that forgiveness is often more powerfully felt by the one with a more sordid past and godly repentance with true remorse than the one who thought himself not so bad in his living well by human standards.  The amount of appreciation for the love of the Master is what changes due to the awareness of the sin and the release of its sentence.  Jesus then turned to the situation at hand, the woman who was being judged but had such appreciation for the love of the Lord who forgave her then.  Her many sins were cleansed as much as the feet of the Lord she loved and appreciated so much.  Jesus then said, “Your sins are forgiven.” and, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”  The religious crowd still sat in ignorance of judgment as they questioned the authority of Jesus Christ to forgive sins instead of marveling at the grace on display in a sinner’s life.  May we never judge ourselves to be more worthy of forgiveness than ones we consider to be worse sinners and unworthy of this amazing grace or question the love of God in Christ to forgive us all equally by His atoning work on the cross!  Those who have been forgiven so much sin realize the grace more acutely and love Him ever more as they serve and follow as well.  Such faith in Him and appreciation for His mercy are fuel for righteous living to follow the Master well.  May we all then come to that same love and thankfulness no matter how sordid or seemingly less eventful our past before our forgiveness and new life in Christ.  Our sins are forgiven!  Amen! 

Prepare the Way for Wisdom

Luke 7:18-35 

John the Baptist Sends Messengers to Jesus

18 Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things. 19 And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"

20 When the men had come to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?'" 21 And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight.

22 Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. 23 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."

24 When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 25 But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings' courts. 26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. 27 This is he of whom it is written:

'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
Who will prepare Your way before You.'

28 For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."

29 And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John. 

30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.

31 And the Lord said, "To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying:

'We played the flute for you,
And you did not dance;
We mourned to you,
And you did not weep.'

33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' 35 But wisdom is justified by all her children."

John prepared the way for Jesus the Christ that those exercising wisdom would heed the herald and hear the Coming One as it was written long ago for us to anticipate and receive.  John knew the prophecies and sent two of his own followers to question this Jesus of Nazareth to ascertain if He was the coming Messiah who was to set God’s people free at last.  They asked if they should be waiting for someone else or if He really was the One; Jesus answered after healing many by pointing out that He had made the blind see, the lame walk, cleansed the leper, made the deaf hear, raised the dead, and preached the gospel to the poor just as the scriptures foretold in Isaiah 35:5-6, 61:1-3.  This was enough of an answer for John as they bore witness to all these things that Jesus did.  The Lord then told the crowd and His disciples about John the Baptist after the messengers left them.  He said that John was the one in the scriptures who was a prophet and so much more as the herald preparing the way (Isaiah 40:3-5) for the gospel to be brought by the Messiah as God’s messenger to the people.  John prepared the way by calling for repentance, for turning away from sin and preparing to turn to Him when Jesus began the call to repent and believe the gospel of deliverance from sin’s punishment of eternal judgment.  Jesus now stepped in and was doing just that.  Even after all these events fulfilling the scriptures that the Pharisees and men of the Law heard and saw, they still demanded more proof and rejected this will of God!  They refused to confess their sin and repent before John and so continued to reject the One he paved the way for.  Jesus compared them to little children who taunted each other as they demanded other children to do silly things that they demanded from the others like dancing when they played a flute or weeping when told a sad tale.  These religious leaders criticized John for not acting and say what they expected and demanded as proof in their own eyes (and not according to the scriptures that wrote of these things) and criticized Jesus for daring to associate with those sinners needing spiritual healing.  The Lord pointed out that wisdom is justified by all her children, as children of wisdom listen and take God’s word to heart as they accept it as true.  The claims of wisdom are proved to be true by her children, those who take God at His word and trust Him with simple and unwavering faith.  John had prepared the way for such wisdom to take hold in the hearts of men and women who would receive the Lord according to His word.  May we also do the same even now. 

Quickening the Dying and the Dead

 Luke 7:1-17 

Jesus Heals a Centurion's Servant

1 Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum. 2 And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die. 3 So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant. 4 And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, 5 "for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue."

6 Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, "Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. 7 Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

9 When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!" 10 And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.

Jesus Raises the Son of the Widow of Nain

11 Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. 12 And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep." 14 Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." 15 So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.

16 Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen up among us"; and, "God has visited His people." 17 And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.

Jesus quickened the dying and the dead with life now and beyond death.  First He encountered the request from a Roman centurion through the Jewish elders at his request to beg Jesus to heal his dear departing servant who was sick and near death.  The elders pleaded with the Lord to hear the man’s petition because he had been faithful to build and support the local synagogue there in Capernaum and loved the people of Israel of God.  Jesus followed them towards the house but was interrupted by friends of the soldier who were messengers humbly asking Jesus to just give the word that the servant would be made well and live.  The soldier had faith upon hearing all that the Lord had done with others to heal with a word and also felt unworthy of a personal visit, likely because he was an outsider and occupier from Rome in His land.  As a lifelong soldier, the centurion knew how military authority allowed him to give a word and he had faith it would be carried out in obedience because of the power invested in that authority.  This faith in Jesus trusted His word as the ultimate authority (Luke 4:32, 36) to speak and the natural realm would obey Him to heal the man’s servant in much the same way.  The Lord Christ recognized and honored this faith that others of the people of Israel to whom He was sent did not seem to possess or exercise.  When the messengers returned they witnessed the answer to the petition of faith.  The sick servant who was headed towards death was alive and well.  That must have been a faith building moment for all involved who saw and heard these things recorded for us to marvel at as well in this gospel of Luke!  The next day Jesus went into the town of Nain into a huge crowd at a funeral procession.  There a widow’s only son who met death was passing on the way to burial when the Lord demonstrated compassion on the grieving widow.  He told her to stop crying and laid His hand on the coffin.  All the pallbearers stopped in their tracks.  Jesus said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” and the young man sat up alive and talking.  He was quickened from death to life as a message and sign of eternal life (John 5:24) to come after the resurrection for all who received Him (John 1:12) and believed His work (John 6:29) to bring life from death to the dying now and those already in death.  That is the true hope of the gospel heard and believed by trusting Jesus upon hearing His word and trusting His authority and power to do these things.  May all who read these historical accounts of the words and works of the Lord Jesus Christ likewise trust and obey His good news of hope in the face of the inevitable and pass from death to life as well. 

Good Fruit on a Solid Foundation

Luke 6:43-49

A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit

43 "For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Build on the Rock

46 "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say? 47 Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. 49 But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great."

Here is a teaching of Jesus Christ about a tree and a solid foundation.  The tree must bear fruit for it to be good because if it remains barren then it received no fertilizer to enable a change in its ability ability to be fruitful.  It remains a bad tree with nothing to show for its true value.  Such is the case with us if we do not receive Christ (John 1:12) through the enabling change of the gospel which makes us different and fruitful with good fruit (Ephesians 2:10) in place of the bad (Ecclesiastes 7:20, Romans 3:10-12) fruit growing out of an unregenerate heart.  Only a remade heart of a reborn soul is able to bear good fruit reflecting God instead of evil fruit of a fallen sinful nature inherited from Adam (Romans 5:12, 18).  Neither can figs grow in a thorn bush or grapes from prickly vines or shrubs.  Figs are good fruit of a healthy tree and grapes grow on cultivated vines carefully pruned to bring forth fruit to eat and drink.  These visual parables teach us that what is in the heart is reflected in the fruit of the life, and the heart in its natural state is evil (Genesis 6:5) unless it is remade and God’s laws written upon it (Jeremiah 31:33, 2 Corinthians 3:3) to bear good fruit prepared for it (Ephesians 2:10) and made possible by God.  The proof of a good tree therefore is the good fruit of a life lived in Christ’s righteousness that overflows from a heart changed by and moved by Him.  Those without a changed heart of rebirth continue to bear the bad fruit of what they say and do accordingly.  Jesus took this to the deeper truth of needing to build on the solid foundation of Himself by receiving Him and what He was saying to have a house that stands through the judgment to come on us all to test if we do His work for salvation which literally is believing and receiving His work and not attempting to earn deliverance or change our hearts on our own (John 6:29).  Faith that takes God at His word and receives Christ alone is what saves us when we realize our sin, turn from it to Him, and take Him at His word to receive Him and His work and righteousness for us.  This is building on Christ as the solid rock of our souls.  This is where we can plant good trees that are fertilized by grace and the scriptures to bear fruit pleasing to our Father in heaven.  We must dig deep into this word to find Christ and build our lives’ foundation on Him alone to weather the coming storm of judgment and bear fruit worthy (Ephesians 4:1, Colossians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 1:11) of our calling.  We need the solid foundation of Christ and a new heart to plant good trees that bear good fruit (Mark 4:20) that lasts (John 15:16) to righteousness.  If we then call Him our Lord, let us do as He says in willing obedience to the truth and follow Him as we build on this solid foundation with a changed life.  We then are able to bear good fruit on the right tree of His goodness in our hearts. 

Love and Judgment

Luke 6:27-42 

Love Your Enemies

27 "But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. 29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.

32 "But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

Do Not Judge

37 "Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

39 And He spoke a parable to them: "Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? 40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. 41 And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? 42 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye.

Love, judgment, condemnation, and forgiveness are all covered in these two discourses by Jesus with the disciples.  Love is not only for the deserving, but should also be lavished on our enemies.  The Lord explained this unconditional love is not based on how good another is us, but showing good in return for evil as unwarranted and undeserved as He does for we unworthy who are in Christ by such unwarranted grace.  When others use us for their own gain or amusement and are hateful with unwarranted evil to steal and destroy us with spite, we are to forgive and let them vent their ungodliness while we return a godly response.  This is not easy because it goes against our moral expectations of fair play and goodness which the evildoers do not possess or understand apart from a transformative work of Jesus Christ in their hearts and minds.  We are warned against expecting good in return for our showing grace to such as well.  Sinners expect a return on good works; the godly are to expect no such thing.  Our reward in heaven is what motivates because we were all once such sinners in varying degrees and mercy triumphs over judgment in the end (James 2:13).  We often call this the golden rule to describe loving our undeserving enemies with no hope of a return on our spiritual investment.  Just as God shines kindness of grace on the unthankful and evil ones, so we are to reflect His love to them.  Because our Father in heaven is so merciful we are to be merciful to the same degree, a high calling which goes against our sense of right and wrong.  Similarly, we are not to judge and condemn but forgive those who do unrighteous deeds of evil and self-seeking.  With the measure of forgiveness and grace we mete out to these, we will reap the same from our Lord in return.  The parable Jesus spoke here describes  a blind leader of fellow blind men and a focus on the faults of another without first dealing with our own shortcomings of sin.  The lesson for us is to look first with humility at the situation to show compassion on those who cannot see without being able to first see ourselves and for ourselves before helping another without judgment of condemnation.  We can judge the issue without condemning the offender because God is the Judge and not us.  We therefore should listen to our Lord to deal first with our own log filling our blinded eyes to empathize with fellow sinners and humbly assist them with comfort and understanding to deal with their own problems that are often smaller than our own.  When is comes to dealing with a sinning brother or sister, harsh condemnation does not justify us, only Christ can do that.  May we be merciful and faithful to exhibit grace (Matthew 18:15) as we consider our own forgiveness of grace (Ephesians 2:7) by God in Him according to His goodness.  Amen. 

Beautifully Blessed or Woefully Living?

Luke 6:20-26

The Beatitudes

20 Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said:

"Blessed are you poor,
For yours is the kingdom of God.

21 Blessed are you who hunger now,
For you shall be filled.

Blessed are you who weep now,
For you shall laugh.

22 Blessed are you when men hate you,
And when they exclude you,
And revile you, and cast out your name as evil,
For the Son of Man's sake.

23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!
For indeed your reward is great in heaven,
For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.

Jesus Pronounces Woes

24 "But woe to you who are rich,
For you have received your consolation.

25 Woe to you who are full,
For you shall hunger.

Woe to you who laugh now,
For you shall mourn and weep.

26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you,
For so did their fathers to the false prophets.

Here Jesus pronounced blessings and woes.  The beautiful life follows God’s word from the heart and not in rote compliance that compromises or even misapplies the commands and exhortations given to us that we might live lives pleasing to Him in the beauty of holiness.  When we realize we have nothing apart from our Lord and His word, then our seeming poverty is true riches in the kingdom of heaven.  Blessings of beauty also entail hunger satiated by hearing from the Lord as we sit at His feet (Luke 10:39, 42) and listen attentively to learn how to live acceptably to our Father above.  Do we truly hunger and thirst for righteousness and holiness that we may be pleasing to our Maker?  Fountains of blessings flow from those who live in the direction of our Lord and Savior in the enabling power of the Holy Spirit as we are attentive to our loving Father in heaven above.  If we cry with sadness over our sin and those running headlong into destruction, we can be assured that God will wipe away every tear in eternity (Revelation 21:4) and provide solace and joy forevermore in His very presence.  This is our hope of the blessings of temporary sorrow now which will be taken away then.  We shall find laughter replacing sadness as we sit apart from sin and sorrow in this new creation.  When others hate us for our love of God and living according to His Word, when they treat us as outcasts and defame us because we identify with Jesus Christ (Revelation 12:17), then we can rest assured in the blessings of being God-pleasers and can rejoice exceedingly as did the prophets who have gone before us in His name to glorify and honor Him.  However, if we think that we do not need the Lord or His word and work, if we dishonor and dismiss Him by rejecting these instructions, then we only experience woe and sorrow that never abates or goes away.  Such woe is deep or inconsolable grief or misery that is quite the opposite of the joy of blessings found in following the Lord.  If we rely on our own ability to have riches and feed our appetites with disregard to His instructions because they involve suffering for His name, then our laughter will morph into the woe of deep sorrow and everlasting shame (Daniel 12:2).  The last woe pronounced by Jesus was for those who reject Him out of fear of persecution and only want others to like and speak highly of them as they compromise God their Maker.  It is as the false prophets who spoke what others wanted to hear (Jeremiah 6:13, Lamentations 2:14, Micah 2:11, Matthew 7:15) instead of what they needed to hear (2 Timothy 4:3) from the LORD.  May we be wise and pursue the knowledge of the Lord by listening to trust and obey at all costs in all times that we may see good in being blessed and avoid the woes of judgment coming on all flesh.  Rejoice in suffering and anticipate the blessing of the end of sin’s presence set before us.